© Ithaca Builds, 2025
July 1, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Westgate Plaza, which houses the Finger Lakes Beverage Center and FedEx Office is being re-sided this summer by Benchmark Construction Fritz Contracting, along with a new wraparound awning with new side entry, and a renovated interior for the Beverage Center, allowing for a large expansion of retail floor space. The cultured stone base has made its way around the Seneca street side of the building, and the Dryvit panels will probably be finishing-up install on the remaining wall section soon.
June 30, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Work on the new facade for the Lehigh Valley House has been progressing, along with interiors for Ithaca’s very own (and I think first) West End condominium project. Timmy Ciaschi is renovating the entire building for six condominium units on the upper floors (hurry if you’re interested), and a few commercial spaces on the ground floor as the Lehigh Valley House Restaurant’s storied 113 years came to a close in 2010. The small one-story addition in the rear yard has been completely demo’ed out, and will be replaced with a new enclosed bump-out for garage parking spaces. After the remaining fiber cement siding and trim boards are installed, the ground floor will be receiving a new wrap-around awning to match the style of the original cornice and brackets (see elevations below).
Photos from today:
Photos from the 23rd below:
June 25, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
So admittedly, I post a lot of photos of this project, but it’s quite a spectacle now that the site is relatively opened-up. It looks like Welliver has completed their major portion of the work contract for Novarr-Mackesey, and crews for interior finish work and cleaning have moved on site to have the apartments ready for incoming occupants; on the left (west) side, Building 5 contains 167 units and Building 6 (east) contains 71 units. Landscaping work has been progressing around the building edges, and the new drive lanes south of Buildings 5 & 6 have been paved and curbed. There will probably be some sort of barrier or fence constructed along the south slope for excavation work for the final structure, Building 7, which will be the largest, likely to come-in at 247 units. I’m not sure of a start date, but my guess would be sometime late Fall.
June 18, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Rock removal and blasting began late May by Maine Drilling and Blasting, as the project reaches further into the ground, removing rock and soil for the future foundations of Klarman Hall, which will sit between the wings of Goldwin Smith Hall. The shoring beams are tied with lag boards to support the hillside as the digging goes deeper, but the blasting should be finished-up by July. Here’s an updated project schedule from the project page:
18 Jun 2014 | East Ave Shoring complete
24 Jun 2014 | Complete Rock removal South
01 Jul 2014 | Complete Rock removal North
16 Jul 2014 | South Footings complete
06 Aug 2014 | North Footings complete
27 Aug 2014 | South Foundation walls complete
28 Aug 2014 | Steel erection begins
17 Sep 2014 | North Foundation walls complete
01 Oct 2014 | South Steel Complete
05 Nov 2014 | North Steel complete
19 Nov 2014 | Atrium steel installed
All the underpinnings were completed last month, and we should be seeing foundation work start in the next couple weeks. Concrete forms will be situated starting at the south end, then steel reinforcement tied in-place, then concrete poured into the form. The foundation walls and steel erection phases will also go from south to north, so by the time northern foundation walls are being formed, structural steel will have begun placement on the south end. Should be a nice one to watch as it goes up. Quite an elevation change too; this one starts well below-grade, a lot like the recent Law School Expansion, constructiom which was also managed by Welliver. The design for Klarman Hall is by Koetter | Kim & Associates.
June 18th:
June 15th:
May 26th:
Various:
June 16, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
RABCO Highland House‘s 57-bedroom Thurston Avenue Apartments project has had complete roofing for weeks now, and almost all of the double-hung grilled Marvin windows have now been installed in the rough openings. By now interior framing is complete, the electric, plumbing, sprinklers and fixtures are in the rough-ins phase, and drywall, paint, and flooring should follow along afterwards. The exterior already has brick veneer base, which will transition to Hardie boards and synthetic stucco the rest of the way up. The exterior facade and paving/curbing should go quickly, since the buildings are leased for August occupancy. The site design is by Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, with architecture by HOLT, and construction managed by G.M. Crisalli & Associates.
June 16, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Updated photos here for Novarr-Mackesey‘s Collegetown Terrace Buildings 5 & 6 built by Welliver along the south slope of State Street. Buildings 5 & 6 will be finishing-up for occupancy later this summer, and the facades are 100% done now- the scales along the northern sides are complete, and the stucco/fiber cement panel combinations on the south sides were completed weeks ago. The metal pedestrian walkway connecting Building 5’s glass-walled common space to Building 3.4’s entry pavilion has been painted bright green, and there’s now an asphalt walkway between both buildings, as the concrete stairways and metal railings are finishing-up.
The project was designed by ikon.5 architects out of Princeton, New Jersey; the firm was judged as the 4th best design firm in the United States for 2013 by a panel from Architect Magazine (the AIA’s official publication, American Institute of Architects). The plans for Building 7 require a zoning variance to build 247 units (up from 178 due to the desire to forego parking on the second level for dorm-style units), but I haven’t seen a final resolution or record of vote for the revision. If approved, the net additional bed count for the whole project would go from 589 to 669 net additional bedrooms (the construction required the demolition of the former Valentine Apartment complexes).
June 15, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Cornell’s Statler Hall Entry renovation has begun, as the western-facing 1987 arched limestone entryway has been removed from the building over the past three weeks, along with the hardscape out in front. The existing floors have been blocked-off with stud walls and fiberglass-mat sheathing on the outside, as the project will commence with building an entirely new entryway vestibule and re-worked hallway that includes additional second-floor space above, with an ample metal-framed glass curtain wall on either side. The new stone base will match the existing, and the facade will contain limestone panels to compliment the existing limestone veneer. In addition to the expanded and renovated space, the project contains significant new HVAC work as one of the primary motivators.
The $2.4 million project was designed by KSS Architects, and M/E Engineering. The plans were presented back in December of last year, with a planned delivery date of August.
June 6, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
The CrossFit Pallas project is moving along with the closing-in of the remaining inlet-facing side of the exterior, and much interior progress: the rest of the ceiling panels have been installed, along with lighting fixtures, wall panelling, clerestory windows, plywood wall sheathing, and the bathroom walls are currently being framed-out. The project is being constructed by Fingerlakes Construction Company, specializing in post-frame construction. I’m not sure of the planned opening date, but my guess would be later this summer.
May 28, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Novarr-Mackesey‘s 1,226 bed Collegetown Terrace project being constructed by Welliver is showing more progress as spring draws to a close in a few weeks, and the summer construction season gets into full swing: the retaining wall and sidewalk at the east end of Building 5 has been poured, further multicolored vinyl siding has been installed along the northern sides of Building 5 & 6, and the curbing, sidewalk, and drive lane gravel from the end of Quarry Street South (Casa Roma‘s entrance) to about the center of Building 5’s south side is set. There’s also been a lot of landscaping work, giving a sense of what the grounds will look like once the project is complete. The planters have nice big stone retaining walls, and the tree and shrub combinations look balanced.
…And for the time-warp, here are some shots taken around the same time last year: May 2013 Photos of Collegetown Terrace
Besides this project, Novarr-Mackesey is likely developing a project for a collection of parcels on a block in Collegetown, surrounding a recent sketch plan proposal: 200 Block of Dryden Road
North side of Building 5:
Southwest end of Building 5, new drive lane:
South sides of Building 5 and 6, these facades look complete:
Northeast side of Building 5, and Building 6 further back. Building 6’s northern facade looks complete by now:
May 27, 2014 // by Jason Henderson
Agora Development’s Belle Sherman Cottages Lot #19 (all the way in the back) has been finished-up, along with the foundation, modular placement, interior finish work, and siding on Lot #13 (white and tan front), which sold earlier this year. Lot #5 (Classic Bungalow Style) has also been sold, the foundation dug, footers poured, and Insulated Concrete Form blocks have been assembled for pouring concrete inside to form the foundation walls. Lot #3 has also sold, which will be a Craftsman Farmhouse-style home.
Renderings and pricing information for the townhouses have been posted on the project’s website here: Belle Sherman Cottages Townhomes. The modular homes are sourced from Simplex out of Scranton, PA, with on-site construction by Carina Construction. Carina posted a video about their work online here: Carina Construction Video
Lot #13 in April:
April 12th:
Lot #19, and townhouse footprint to the right:
May 18th:
